by Jana Leigh
Eric had joined Striker in the living area and had ordered breakfast for all of them. It had just arrived when Mia stepped out from the bedroom, dressed and ready to go.
"You look very nice in those clothes. Are you hungry?” Eric complimented her.
Mia blushed when she saw that she had both men's attention. "Thank you, for the compliment and the clothes. And yes, I am hungry."
"Good. I ordered a little bit of everything. Come, sit,” Eric told her.
When Mia made a move to join Eric at the small dining table, Striker stood to go to the table as well. Mia smiled shyly, looking from Striker to Eric as if weighing their thoughts. Striker decided to make the first move and walked over to her, holding his arm out as if to escort her to the table. She hesitated for a moment and then hooked her arm through his. He smiled at her in approval and she beamed back, proud of the small win against fear. They all sat at the table and began to eat breakfast, talking little as each was thinking of the trip ahead. Mia silently prayed for their safety and hoped they could reach the Senate in time. She also asked for the strength to hold her own desires at bay.
She remembered a line from a movie she watched a long time ago. “Relationships based on extreme circumstances never worked.” Well that was a random sucky thought that passed through her head.
Chapter Seven
In Milliken, Colorado, the Alphas make a decision:
"What the fuck is going on over there?” Cami yelled to the room as she paced. "I sent her there to keep her safe and now she is on the run. And what about the cock sucker, Roarke, and his butt buddy, Diavolo, they have to be skulking around somewhere. Why can’t we ever seem to find the assholes? It’s not like they scream ‘scared insecure hiding asshats’."
"We are trying to find out more details but with both compounds just attacked, they are a bit busy at the moment, Cam,” Quin said calmly. He knew his wife was frustrated, they all were. Setting up the Senate was a chore, and add the numerous members joining their Pack, it made it a little chaotic, well, more than it usually was.
Cami whirled on him and pointed her finger at him. "Don't you dare try to placate me, mister? We need to find her. Who do we have over there right now?"
"I can make some calls. We can try to find out,” Jaden said. “But according to Orfeo, Striker and Eric are with her right now, they are moving toward home.”
"Oh really, and it is taken this long, she is probably terrified.” Cami stopped pacing again and looked at both her mates. "I sent her there. I did, damn it. I thought she would be safe."
Quin and Jaden both surrounded her immediately, holding her between them. "You didn't know. None of us did,” Jaden said to her.
"We will take care of this. Keep her safe. We just need to put our heads together and figure out how,” Quin added, hoping to calm Cami down, he knew his mate, she was going to do something to piss him off in the state she was in.
"We have to keep her safe. She is part of the Senate. I promised her,” Cami said, feeling her anger grow again.
"I know. I will put in a call to Orfeo now and see if I can get an update,” Quin assured her.
Cami nodded, kissed both of her mates, and began to walk to the doorway of the office. "When you talk to him, tell him to expect me by tomorrow night. It will take that long to get the kids situated and packed."
"I'm sorry, what?” Quin said, both he and Jaden looking confused.
Cami turned back to her men and said, "I said, let Orfeo know I will be there by tomorrow night. That way I can be there for Mia when she gets there."
"Are you out of your fucking mind?! You are not going there, I forbid it!” Quin thundered.
Jaden saw and felt Cami's reaction and all he could do was shake his head. "Oh shit. Here we go."
"Excuse me?” Cami said calmly. "You what? Please tell me you did not forbid me to do a damn thing. 'Cause I know that you are not that stupid after all this time."
Quin was so angry he didn't see how calm Cami was and that alone should have scared him. "You will not go over there now. It is too dangerous."
Cami walked right up to her furious mate and said, "Oh I'm going and Jaden will go with me. You can stay here and think about what you said. And sleep on the fucking couch even if we are gone, you are being an ass.” She turned and walked back to the door. "Now, I am going to go pack and then make arrangements for someone to stay with the kids."
She walked out of the office as Quin was beginning to see the error of his ways and he looked at Jaden. "Don't look at me like that, you fucked up all by yourself. I was just happy to sit back and watch,” Jaden said as he walked over and kissed his mate. "Sorry, but you lost that one big time. I am going to go help her pack and make arrangements. Call Orfeo and stay out of her way for a bit. She may let you make love to us later if you try the whole, 'I am going to be all alone' thing.” Jaden laughed as he followed his little mate out of the door.
As Cami headed down the hall, still pissed at Quin, she almost ran headlong into Jo. "Hey, what are you in a snit about?” Jo asked.
Cami huffed out a breath. "Sorry, Quin is up to forbidding me to doing shit again,” Cami told her, filling her in on what had happened. "So I am going with Jaden over there to see if I can be of help and to ensure that Mia is okay."
"Lucky bitch,” Jo said. "I would give anything for Tey and I to get away. It seems like forever since we had time to ourselves."
"Come with us! Oh yeah, it will be fun!” Cami said to Jo excitedly. "You have said you want to work with Fredi and we can also see everyone else. It will be a blast!"
Jo looked thoughtful for a moment and then broke out into a grin. "Yeah, this could be fun! I am going to go find Tey and see if we can make arrangements for the kids."
"Me too, make an arrangement that is. Then go pack. I want to leave in the morning,” Cami said as Jaden rounded the corner.
When Jaden heard the tail end of the conversation, he put a hand to his head and said, "Oh Gods, this is going to get out of hand, isn't it? Cami, don't go getting everyone riled up now."
Cami grinned at him. "I'm not. Jo has a legitimate reason for going. She needs to work one-on-one with Fredi now."
Jaden laughed. "Fine. Go. Both of you. Pack.” He wasn’t about to lose his chance at some one-on-one time with his mate. Quin had his chance when the two of them had gone camping. Jaden had volunteered to stay home with the kids, now it was his turn.
Cami kissed him hard on the lips as she and Jo went off arm in arm, talking about the trip. Jaden turned and made his way to his office. He had some plans to make, he wanted to make his mate happy, but his first job was to keep her safe.
After Cami had talked to Blaine's mother, who agreed to babysit the children, she headed to Jaden's office to talk to him about booking the tickets. As she stepped into the doorway, she saw that Jaden had company. Darien was there and they were deep in discussion, looking over some maps.
"What's going on?” Cami asked them as she went up to join them.
"We were going over the potential ways to evacuate Mia. It seems she is with two men, Eric and Striker, who are getting her out of England into France,” Jaden explained. "I want to send a private jet to them in a small town, get them out quick."
"We were trying to figure out which small town. We have to contact Striker through an email address, so they won't be picked up anytime soon,” Darien explained.
"Okay, so we have time to get there, right?” Cami asked.
Jaden smiled at her. "Yes, we have time to get there."
"Good. Blaine's mom agreed to come up and take care of the kiddies and help Quin while we are gone. Jo and Tey are packing, they will meet up with us at dinner,” Cami told him.
"I'm sure it will make you happy to know that Darien and Cloe are going as well. Orfeo informed Quin that it might be helpful to have another doctor on site for a while. Darien is going to help organize security since he has the experience in dealing with the Rogues,” Jaden told her as he refolded the
map.
Cami’s face broke out into a smile. "That's great. The more the merrier. What about Teagan?"
"He is setting up a new section of the clinic. I am going to call for the plane now then we need to update Quin on what we have found out and compare notes,” Darien said to them both. "Jaden, meet you in Quin's office in fifteen?"
"Sounds good. Thanks, Darien,” Jaden said as he closed the office door behind him. He walked over to Cami and grabbed her in his arms. "We are finally alone.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
Cami giggled. Sometimes her men still made her feel like a teenager. "Now that you have me, what are you going to do to me?"
"Oh, you wait and see.” Jaden bent her over his desk and proceeded to remind her of how much he loved and wanted her.
*****
Orfeo hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. He looked around at the other members of the Senate and said, "Jaden, Cami, and a few others are coming to help out. Cami is also very concerned for Mia and wants to be here to help support her."
"That's good. We could use the help,” Dante said.
Orfeo nodded. "Cloe is coming with them. It will be good to have a doctor here full time until we find one."
"Has there been any word from Striker?” Cat asked.
"Sadly, no. We know we can leave word for him on the email for the compound, but only for important messages. We don't know who is watching that as well,” Orfeo explained. "Quin and Jaden are arranging to transport them here by plane."
"That's good news too,” Cat said looking at the other women. "Let's go and get a bungalow ready for them. We need to clean it and stock it."
The ladies all left the room but the men remained behind. "We need to prepare for another attack. It seems Roarke has a hard-on for getting Mia back in his clutches and will stop at nothing to get her."
Tripp stood and looked at Dante. "Let's go meet with security and see about fortifying the outer walls. Orfeo, you need to call your dad and update him."
Orfeo nodded. "I will do that now and then I will join you."
"I am going to call a meeting of the heads of the clans here and update them,” Brin said.
"We will go and make sure supplies are stocked and the cameras are all repaired,” Bane said as he and Marshall stood as well.
Orfeo stood and watched the other men leave. He hoped there wouldn't be another attack right now, but they needed to be prepared. He was also grateful the Alphas were coming. Orfeo knew more than anyone about Diavolo and they knew about Roarke. Both had been exchanging information; however, it seemed this young woman, Mia, knew information that could help them all. He turned to his phone and as he dialed his father's number, he prayed for Striker, Eric, and Mia and their safe arrival—for all their sakes.
Chapter Eight
Striker had left on his own to go pick up a rental car for their trip. It was safer for all of them if they drove instead of taking a plane or bus. This gave them more power over their safety. Once he returned, Eric had checked them out of the room and had Mia down in the garage. They drove out onto the motorway, heading southeast toward the ferries in Portsmouth. Striker knew they could take the ferry to France. He chose Portsmouth because the ferry routes there were large and they could hide among the crowds.
They made only one stop on their way and then they made their final stop at a little cafe on the waterfront. It had Wi-Fi and Striker was able to check the email for the compound. There was a message for him there and he had been surprised. It simply said he should head to his father's childhood holiday house. His father told him countless stories of his boyhood holiday home where his parents had taken him every summer. It was located in Ver-sur-Mer, France. He was relieved to have a destination. The email also said they should fly there the next day.
Striker's father knew they were driving, which meant they should go to the small airport there. Someone was sending a plane for them. This was good news and Striker felt relieved. He turned and looked over at Mia and Eric. They were sitting at one of the outside tables on the backside of the cafe, facing the water. Mia laughed at something Eric said and Striker caught himself smiling. It was nice to see her relaxing a little without the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Striker studied their surroundings, checking each and every section for any threats against his mates. He didn't see anything that would raise any alarm bells at the moment. He closed his eyes and sent out his senses, feeling for any nuance of disturbance, and feeling for anything that might show a threat. He again came up with nothing to set him on edge. He looked back at his mates and began to walk toward them. He would take advantage of the time to get to know them both better.
As he approached them, he heard Eric say to Mia, "Do you want to order some lunch? You hardly ate any breakfast."
Mia shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
Striker pulled out the chair on the other side of Mia and sat down. "You need to eat. We have a long journey.” He gave Eric a pointed looked and Eric got up to go order some food.
Mia sighed. "Why do you always do that?"
"Do what?” Striker asked.
"Make everything an order,” she said.
Striker frowned. "I do not make everything an order. I simply offer my suggestion."
"Your suggestion?” she said surprised. "No. You order. Why?"
Striker frowned again. "I am simply looking out for you, and for Eric."
Mia didn't say anything as she turned to look out over the water. She seemed pensive as she sipped her coffee and stared at the ocean. Striker could see she was deep in thought, about what he could only guess.
"Did he always give orders?” Striker asked her.
He watched as she stiffened in her seat. He saw the way her jaw tensed and the way she held her head ramrod straight. She didn't say a word for several minutes and he could see her struggling to swallow as she sat there. Just when he thought to change the subject he had brought forward too soon for her, she began to speak.
"He...he was evil. He always gave orders,” she said softly, so softly he almost didn't hear her if not for his inhuman hearing. He remained quiet as she continued, "He...did...things.” She shuddered and said nothing more. It was enough for now. He slid his hand along the table and took hers, sliding their fingers together, and weaving them as one. She allowed him to hold her hand and they sat in silence until Eric came back to them.
Eric sat down the tray of food and noticed the change in atmosphere at the table. 'What is going on?’ he asked Striker through their link.
'Mia is opening up a little. She mentioned him,’ Striker told him.
Eric raised an eyebrow at him. 'Really? That's a good sign, right?’ He handed Striker a burger as well, then took his own.
'I think so. We just have to let her control the speed at which this train is going,’ Striker added.
Eric looked over at Mia who was frowning at them. "What? I got you a burger."
Mia shook her head. "No, that's great. I don't know, for a minute it looked like you two were communicating without speaking. Do werewolves do that?"
Eric looked surprised for a moment until he heard Striker's voice in his head say, 'She thinks we are werewolves. Let it be for now.’ Eric took a breath and said aloud to her, "We weren't communicating any way but with our facial expressions."
"Uh…huh.” Mia looked unconvinced. Without saying another word, she picked up her burger and began to eat. They ate in silence for a while, watching the boats and people along the harbor. Striker kept sending out feelers as they ate, keeping an eye out for any threats of any kind.
*****
Diavolo read all the emails and found the one sent to Striker. He knew Drago, Striker's father, would code the email so only he and his son would know what it would say. He read it over and over again, looking for the true meaning. He then began to research the holdings of the family. He found they had several in many different countries, which was even more frustrating. He knew they had to be discreet so he se
nt men to every port conceivable to escape from. Maybe one of them would call soon, he had to get a lead, or Diavolo would have his hide.
Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up and barked, "What?"
"Sir, we found them. They are in Portsmouth at the waterfront waiting on a ferry,” one of his men informed him.
"Excellent. Keep your distance. I am on my way,” he ordered.
"Yes, sir."
He hung up and headed out. He was only a couple of hours away in driving distance. He could hop a copter and be there in a half hour. He smiled, they wouldn't know what hit them and he would finally have a bargaining chip against his brother. He would have to help him or risk being outted to the masses.
*****
As Striker watched Mia play with her food, he felt a ripple in his scanning. He immediately became alert and that alerted Eric. They both began to search their surroundings, keeping everything calm at the table. They didn't want to alert Mia and get her upset yet; soon they would lose her to the fear again. It angered Striker and Eric both to know that whoever was out there had once again already taken Mia away from them mentally and emotionally.
Striker let his rage roll through him and was surprised when he felt Mia's hand on his own. She had felt his emotional shift and responded to it. Their mate link was strengthening and it was surprising how strong it was. He turned his hand to give hers a squeeze of reassurance. He turned to look at Eric.
'Be ready to take Mia away from here. My father sent an email for us to meet a plane in a town called Ver-sur-Mer, France. Go there. You both will be safe,’ Striker sent.
'What about you?’ Eric asked.
'I will be fine. I am going to stop whoever this is from following you,’ Striker told him.
